ACC-19 will take place in Belfast from 27 June to 5 July 2026, hosted by the Church of Ireland and supported by the Anglican Communion Office. It is the 19th in-person meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, and one of the four Instruments of Communion. It brings together bishops, clergy and lay representatives from across the provinces, reflecting the breadth and diversity of Anglican life worldwide. In this article, Canon Maggie Swinson - Chair of the ACC - shares her hopes for this important international event.

Every three years, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) gathers members from across the Communion — bishops, clergy and lay people — to pray, to listen, and to reflect together. This year we meet in Belfast, hosted by the Church of Ireland, and I am very much looking forward to being part of that gathering.

The ACC is, as its name suggests, a consultative body. It brings together voices from across the Communion — from many different contexts and experiences — not to impose decisions, but to listen carefully, to learn from one another, and to discern together. That consultative nature matters. It shapes both what we do and how we do it.

What I am most conscious of as we prepare for Belfast is the commitment of those who will be there. For some, this will be a straightforward journey. For others, it represents significant distance, cost, or challenge. Some will come from places of relative stability; others from contexts of conflict, displacement, or uncertainty. Their presence is not incidental — it is a gift to the whole Communion, and something we should not take for granted.

We want those who come to Belfast to experience something very simple but very important: that they are welcome, that they are heard, that they are valued, and that their presence is recognised as a gift. The effectiveness of a consultative body depends on that. It depends on people being willing not only to speak, but to listen; not only to represent their own context, but to attend carefully to others.

My role as Chair is to help ensure that this remains a space where that can happen — where people can speak honestly, are listened to with care, and know that their contribution matters. We will not agree on everything, and ACC is not designed to remove those differences. Its purpose is to ensure that they are engaged with well — through listening, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to remain in relationship.

The theme for this year’s meeting, Called to One Hope, feels timely. We meet as a Communion living with real differences and in a world facing significant challenges. But we are not called simply to mirror those realities. We are called to remain attentive to one another, and to seek the peace of Christ together.

I am particularly mindful of those who will join us from areas of active conflict. Their experience and witness matter deeply to the life of the Communion. Part of our task is not simply to hear them, but to consider carefully how we stand alongside them in prayer, solidarity and practical support.

Belfast offers a fitting context for this gathering — a place shaped by the realities of division, and by the patient, ongoing work of reconciliation. Our hosts in the Church of Ireland will help us to engage with that story, including a pilgrimage during the week. I expect that to be a significant part of our shared experience.

The programme for ACC-19 is being designed to support this consultative work. There will be times for formal presentation, but also space for conversation, reflection, listening and prayer. Each day will begin with Bible study in the book of Acts, grounding our time together in Scripture. We will hear directly from members about the life of their churches, and we will spend time in structured conversations on the issues that shape our shared life — including conflict and peacebuilding, migration, mission and the environment.

We will also engage with work brought by Anglican Commissions and Networks, including The Nairobi-Cairo Proposals. These raise important questions about how we understand and order our life together as a Communion. ACC provides a context in which such questions can be considered carefully, with input from across our provinces, allowing space both for areas where there is readiness to move forward and for those where further reflection is needed. We will also consider Vision36 – a discipleship and church planting initiative across the Anglican Communion.

One of the particular joys of this gathering will be welcoming Archbishop Sarah Mullally to her first meeting of the ACC as Archbishop of Canterbury. We are very glad she will be with us for this important moment in the life of the Communion.

So what do I hope we carry home from Belfast? I hope we leave with a renewed sense of what it means to belong to one another across the Communion. I hope we leave having listened well, having learned from one another, and with a clearer sense of how we can support each other in the contexts in which we serve. And I hope we leave recognising that the simple act of coming together — of remaining in conversation, of making space for one another — is itself a sign of hope.

For more information

ACC-19 will take place in Belfast from 27 June to 5 July 2026, hosted by the Church of Ireland and supported by the Anglican Communion Office. It is the 19th in-person meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, and one of the four Instruments of Communion. It brings together bishops, clergy and lay representatives from across the provinces, reflecting the breadth and diversity of Anglican life worldwide. 

Read more news about ACC-19

Visit the website about ACC-19

Read about The Nairobi-Cairo Proposals.